Documents reveal how SAPD tracked down murder suspect in hotel fatal stabbing

Michael Johnson, 54, is charged in slaying of Keith Bradley, 47

SAN ANTONIO – Court documents reveal new information in the murder case involving 54-year-old Michael Rene Johnson who is accused of fatally stabbing another man inside an east side motel.

On March 10, San Antonio police officers responded to a motel in the 2200 block of East Commerce Street where they found a man who was killed inside his motel room with stab wounds to his chest.

An autopsy by the Bexar County medical examiner’s office determined that 47-year-old Keith Bradley's cause of death was multiple stab wounds.

ORIGINAL STORY: Man arrested in connection with fatal stabbing

According to an arrest affidavit, Bradley’s room door had been locked with the interior security latch but was later cut by motel management after the victim didn’t answer to his father’s knock on the door.

An SAPD detective was able to use the motel’s external and internal video surveillance to find Johnson and an unidentified woman running away from Bradley’s motel room on March 8, two days before his death, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit states that Johnson and the woman were seen walking into Bradley’s room. Only an hour later they were observed in the video running out of the room.

Johnson is then seen holding an object resembling a knife in his hand as he makes his way through the motel’s parking lot, according to the affidavit.

On Tuesday, an SAPD officer made contact with the woman and later told detectives that she was with Johnson and Bradley and acknowledged she and Johnson were the two individuals seen on surveillance, according to the affidavit.

In the affidavit, the woman told detectives that Johnson and Bradley had fought before she grabbed her belongings and ran out the room with Johnson.

According to the affidavit, she heard Johnson throw something onto the metal rooftop of a mechanic shop located a block away from the motel.

The woman told detectives that Johnson is “known to carry knives” and believes he threw a knife on the roof of the mechanic shop.

Detectives later discovered a 3 1/2-inch knife on top of the mechanic shop described by the woman.

On Thursday, Johnson was arrested and charged with Bradley’s murder. His bond was set at $100,000.

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As police were escorting him to their patrol unit, Johnson told reporters that he is a retired first sergeant with the U.S. Army and that he is “innocent of whatever charge they're trying.”

Court documents show Johnson has a criminal history. In May 2014, he pleaded no contest to a charge of assault causing bodily injury. In February 2016, he was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, for which he's currently awaiting trial.

SAN ANTONIO STORY IDEAS & TIPS, EMAIL: agarcia@ksat.com

SAPD Perp Walk 03/22/18

**WARNING: This is a live feed. Language used during this live stream may not be suitable for all audiences.** LIVE: San Antonio Police Department has arrested a suspect in connection to the murder of a 47-year-old man that occurred on March 10 #KSATnews

Posted by KSAT 12 & KSAT.com on Thursday, March 22, 2018

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